Flashlight structure



June 21, 1960 J. STILLFRIED ETAL FLASHLIGHT STRUCTURE Filed Feb. 10, 1958 Klaus See/iger JB, /-Q

Unitedl States Patent O 2,942,103 FLAsrmrGHT STRUCTURE -oachim Stillfried and Klaus Seeliger, Hameln, Germany, assignors to Licentia Patent-VerwaltungsG.m.b.H., Hamburg, Germany Filed Feb. 1o, 195s, ser. No. 714,212 j Claims priority, application Germany Feb. V11,V 1957 7 claims. (c1. 24o-10.65)

necting to the utility power lines, when the batteries are to be charged. In some of the known ilashlig-hts, the lamp is provided in the part of the housing containing the battery, and the contact pins extend from the end `of the housing oppositethe lamp and are normally covered by a removable cap. Other known pocket flashlights are equippedwith retractable contact pins which can" be extended outwardly by actuating a slide provided with wedge ing means.

Furthermore, portable ilashlights have been known which are provided with a separate lamp supporting head removably supportable on the contact pins secured to the vbattery containing housing. Thus, in these flashlights,`the lamp head is detachably held on the battery housing by means of the contact pins. This kind of flashlight de# sign is satisfactorily compact, because the space between the contact `pins can be occupied by` the lamp, whereby the overall length of the ashlight may be reduced to a handy size. The structure of the present ashlights of this type, however, has been objectionable in several respects. For example, the lamp head of such flashlights has'been made in the form of two halves holding aseparate reflector inserted therein and serving as a threaded socket for aspecial bulb `notd readily available on the market. In addiion, the two halves of the head casing are held together by screw means mounted on a contact bar with two contact pins. One of these pins was `connected to the reflector, 'and thereby to the bulb socket, via a wire soldered to this pin, while the other pin was connected to the contact base of the bulbl by means of a riveted spring. Two additional spring members were provided to secure the lamp head on the contact pins mounted on the battery housing. Thus, a considerable number of parts were needed for the lamp head alone, resulting in a complex design and thereby in a relatively high manufacturing costs for such a ashlight.

In a portable or pocket flashlight comprising a battery housing with built-in recharging means for .the battery and with contact pins for power line connection during charging, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved lamp head adapted to receive said contact pins during normal use of the flashlight and thereby hold the head against and aligned with said battery housing. The structure of this novel and improved lamp head is simpler than that of ashlights of this type heretofore known and obviates the mentioned disadvantages of the latter.

It is, therefore, a feature of the invention to provide as such a lamp head a cap-shaped cover made of a single piece and having a bore in the form of a passage through the cap adapted to receive a bulb of the type having a built-in lens, said cap being further provided with spring 2 detents forgripping the contact pins when received therein to prevent accidental removal `of the cap from the battery housing.

It is a further feature of the invention to dimension the length of the cap in relation to the length of the bulb, so that the contact base of the `bulb will project beyond the rear of the cap to engage the contact pins at the front of the battery housing when the cap is assembled thereon, whereby the base end of the bulb will occupy a recessin the front end of the battery housing to engage therein contact springs connected to the two terminals of the battery.

It is a still further feature of the invention to use an electric bulb of the lens type having a glass envelope, the yfront end of which envelope has a smaller diameter than that of the bulb base, and to provide the bore in the cap with a flange-like constriction having a diameter adapted to receive and pass the smaller front end of the bulb envelope when the latter is introduced into the bore from the rear side of the cap. The bulb seats with the widening portion of its envelope on this harige-like constriction and protrudes at its front end into a forward recess of the bore, said recess tapering outwardly. The bulb base is held in the cylindrical part of the rear of the bore through the cap by means of a sleeve 0f rubber or plastic placed over'the bulb base and frictionally engaging the inner wall of the cylindrical part of the bore.

The detent means for the lamp head comprises two angularly bent leaf springs, which are frictionally held in this lamp head as their resilient bends engage 'the inner wall of the lamp head, while the free spring ends engage in notches on the contact pins extending from the battery housing.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and speciiic example, while indicating a preferred embodiment of the invention, is given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure l shows a partial longitudinal section through Aa ashlight according to the invention with the lamp head attached, the rear portion of the ashlight housing containing the battery and the recharging means being broken away. t Y

Figure 2 is a side view of the lamp head, and a portion of the housing in section to show the electric contact means inside the flashlight housing with the lamp base engaged thereby, the other parts of the ilashlight strueture being omitted.

Figure 3 is a rear view of the lamp head showing the interior thereof.

The novel ashlight comprises a housing l of which only the front part is shown in Fig. l. This housing 1 contains the battery, or batteries, and the recharging means therefor (not shown). Two contact pins 2 are secured to and project from the front end of the housing 1 and serve to connect the housing to a power line when the battery or batteries are to be charged. In the normal operating condition of the ashlight, these contact pins 2 are covered by a cap-like lamp head 3 having a central bore forming a passage through this head. The front portion of this passage constitutes a flared recess 12 widening toward the forward end and adapted to receive the front end of a lens-type bulb 4. This lens-type diiers from an ordinary incandescent lamp in that a lens is fused into its glass envelope. The base of this lamp 4 is surrounded by a resilient rubber or plastic sleeve 6, by means of which the base is frictionally held in a cy1indric'al portion'16 at the'rear of the bore through the head 3. The rearwardly enlarging `envelope of the bulbv 4 inserted into this bore from the rear of the cap 3 seats on a constriction or ange 13 provided in the bore, the front end of the bulb 4 extends into the `outwardly1 fiaring 4recess 112'at the front of the cap B.

The lamp head 3 is removably securedior plugged on the pins Zlwhich are received -in openings 15' of this head,`whereby the-rear of the head engages the front end of the housing 1. To prevent accidental `removal of the lamp head 3 from the pins 2, detent means are provided in this head tolockthe same to the pins-2. These detent means 'comprise two leaf springs V10 having ends 18 adapted te grip the pins 2 (see Fig. 1). YAccording toFg. 3,'fe'ach of theleaf springs 'lil-is angularly bent vat its center, whereby the bends are resiliently held between the A:inner wall 'of the head 3 and -webs 14 which are,` in turn, between this wall fand aboss "19containing the'bore, reinforcing the bore structure and suitably formed to receive the bends of these Asprings 10. The vfree ends -18 of the springs '1G are respectively oriented towards each `other'and vare bent to `forin bevel angles 22 (see Fig. 1) adapted to engage notches 11 on the contact pins 2. The vbevels ZZfon the ends 18 of the springs 10 facilitate -the assembling of the lamp head 3 on Athe contact pins '2, because the'inclined surfaces at'these bevels will readily en- 'gage the notches 111. l When the lamp head v3 is attached tothe housing'l, the `end of the lamp base S'protrudes into t-he front end of the housing 1, inwhich electrical -contact springs 8 and 9 connecting to the battery are provided. Fl`he `free cend of the spring YContact 8 is :adapted to engage `a center terminal '7 of the lamp base 5 while the free end `or the spring 9 is provided to resiliently contact the lamp ferrule 121 (see Fig. 2). Such construction is very suitable, because no conventionallarnp socket, solder 'joints, contact pins etc. are required. The novel structure results in 1a compactand simple "design for rechargeable iiashlights.

We claim: Y c l. In a portable flashlight having a common housing for `a battery, a .recharger Vand its circuit, the ycombination comprising: contact pins for the recharger' circuit projecting parallelly from one end of said housing, `the free ends of :said pins-matching a female plug `o f an V'electric power line; a'larnpI head having the form of `a cap and having at its rearend adjacent said end of said housing two parallel openings in matching Yrelationship with said'pins; va'bossin said head between said'pins and having abore therethrough substantiallyrparallel to said openings; a lamp'bulb insaid bore and frictionally held therein, saidlarnp bulb having -a terminal-carrying base with its free end protruding beyond therear 'of the lamp head; and a plurality of resilient contact means at said end of said housing between said pins having different electric potential, said-contact means resiliently and disconnectably engaging the terminals of said lamp base when said lamp head is attached to said housing.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said lamp includes a lens in the front end of its glass envelope, said front end being of smaller outer diameter than the lamp base.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein a sleeve of resilient material surrounds saidbase andfrictionaliy engages the inner wall of said bore to yieldably hold said lampin said boss.

4. VThe combination according to clairn 3, wherein said bore `has 'a constriction vnear frontportion forming a ange, and wherein the glass envelope ef said lamp seats on said flange, thereby limiting the forward displacement of said lamp when the latter is inserted from` the rear into said bore.

5. The combination 'according to 'claim .1, wherein Vdetent springs are resiliently held vin said lamp head between the inner vwall thereof and said hoss, and wherein said vspring have Yfree ends respectively ,oriented At0- wards each other and being adapted to frictionally ,grip

Vsaid pins and'thereby vsecure said `head to said hQuSing 6. The combination vaccording to `claim i5, Whereiugsaid pins have'notc'hes to Vbeengaged ,bysaidrfreespringeuds. f7. Inra-portable-ashlight having arcommon housing for a battery and a recharging circuit, :the Vcombination which comprises: Aa vione-piece `cap llhaving a :center bore which is funnel-*shaped iatfone siderof said cap and-cylindrcal at the vother side .and-:two openings `vaside of .1s-aid bore having such diameter and such a distance :between them so as to receive apair iof contact prongs jusettableV References -Citedin the leofthisppategt c UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,600 Rauch g` 'July '112, 51932 Y 2,277,866 'Le Sage Mar. '31, '71942 2,642,520 Coolidge et al. TT Iunel, 1953 .FQRElGN PATENTS Y 732,431 Germany Mar. '4, V1945 A,245,216 Switzerland ...........f- Oct. 13.1. 1.9.46 

